First Restoration of St Mary's Church

In early 1927 a near catastrophe was averted when it was discovered that the Tower would probably have collapsed unless urgent remedial action was taken. A survey revealed that many slabs of stone had been cut the wrong way, i.e. according to the grain, and eventually the weather had penetrated the mortar pointing and the stone had deteriorated to an alarming extent. A detailed survey was carried out; every stone was examined and tested and all the defective stone was cut out and replaced with a fine Hollington stone, which proved to be hard in texture and lasting in nature. Nearly 200 tons of new stone was used. All the pointing was renewed and the whole structure was cleaned.

During the inspection of the interior fabric another calamity was revealed when it was discovered that the plaster in many places had become detached from the walls. It was probable that the damp had percolated through the defective stonework and was responsible for this latest defect. There was no alternative except to re-plaster the whole interior of the church. Before doing this Pugin's designs were carefully copied so they could be correctly restored. The work was finally completed in June 1928.

Second Restoration of St Mary's Church

On 1 September 1986 the second major renovation of the church began. This was, if anything, more extensive than the first. The wear and tear of nearly 150 years had taken their toll and the project of necessity involved detailed attention to both the interior and exterior of the church. The external stonework was cleaned and revealed in its original attractive colour, and the roof of the Lady Chapel was reslated. The architect chosen to supervise the renovation was Gerard Goalen who had already been involved in similar work on other Pugin churches, and was known for his empathy with Pugin's designs.

The interior of the church was reordered to meet on a more permanent basis the liturgical changes required by the Decree on the Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council. The sanctuary was extended to enable a new altar to be placed in a position closer to the nave so that the congregation could participate more closely in the celebration of Mass. A new lighting and sound system was installed, as was a new electronic organ.

Because of the scale of the work, the church had to be closed for most of the period of the renovation, and Sunday Masses were said in the nearby St Mary's school hall. The renovation and reordering work was completed in the summer of 1989 and the church was formally reopened on 29th September 1989 by Cardinal Basil Hume in a Mass which he concelebrated with the Parish Priest, Canon James Cantwell and other local priests. The packed congregation included the Mayor of Derby and many other local dignitaries, along with several hundred parishioners. This was effectively a double celebration since this date was also the 150th Anniversary of the Dedication of the Church.

The total cost of the renovation work was around £750,000. This debt was eventually paid off in 2002. Whilst meeting the requirements of the modern liturgy, the church has been restored to its former glory in a way which continues to do credit to the architectural genius of its original designer, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin.

Visitors are more than welcome to come and see and pray in our beautiful church!

Grateful acknowledgements go to W J Lilley from whose 'History of St Mary's Church' most of the above has been taken.